The Reign of Wizardry: Lancer Books #75431

The Reign of Wizardry by Jack Williamson Lancer Books #75431 Third Lancer printing April 1973 Paperback 4.15 x 6.95 inches, 254 pages Before the Glory of Greece, Crete ruled the known world - and kept it enslaved by black magic! The evil of Minos held sway, protected by three unconquerable walls. First is the fleet that they call the wooden wall. Then there is a giant of living brass - he is the second wall. Then there is another barrier about the power of Minos, the Wall of Wizardry. Theseus, the tall Achean, the man they called Captain Firebrand, vowed to scale and destroy all three, and to rid the world of the evil yoke of Crete. But Minos had other defences besides the walls, and many ways to attack as well. --------------------- From March 1940, where it ran in three parts in Unknown, this is a retelling of the Theseus myth by Jack Williamson. As well as the traditional elements, Williamson has thrown in an assortment of characters from other tales – the brazen giant Talos and the wizard Daedalus, for example and wrapped them up in a story that should be a classic epic novel but which somehow falls short. It drags a bit for much of its length, plodding along, but does build up to a genuinely exciting finale. If he's remembered at all by people with a casual interest in mythology, Theseus is known for his slaying of the bull-headed Minotaur in the great Labyrinth of Crete. It's a bit of a shame, because he had a long and interesting heroic career that paralleled the better known Heracles. Of course, ol' Herc had the advantage of super-strength, which always impresses audiences but Theseus did all right with a bit of extra cleverness. I wonder if they got along on that voyage of the Argo or if maybe Theseus suggested Heracles stay behind when Hylas was lost just to get the big galoot out of the spotlight. As depicted by Williamson, Theseus is a tall, red-headed Achaean who has been heading a pirate band under the flashy alias of Captain Firebrand. Even though he's looting and pillaging and all that, Theseus is still essentially a moral crusader who donates his share of the loot to hungry orphans and probably builds temples, gives to blood drives and cleans up highways. His big ambition is to topple the rule of the Evil Tyrant of Crete, King Minos, who has been terrorizing all the other nations of the known world for a thousand years (the reign of wizardry of the title). It won't be a snap. There's that fleet of ships manned by tough warriors, there's the giant brass automaton Talos, and there's the fact that Crete is ruled by three magicians... Minos, the sinister Daedalus, and the Princess Ariadne (who looks like Ann-Marget in her prime but who is a thousand years old and a brat like you wouldn't believe). One nice touch is that our hero has a sword called the Falling Star, forged by iron from a meteor. It's not enchanted or anything, but it sure does a number on the weapons and armor of softer bronze which everyone else has. There's a lot of history tied up in that single symbol, iron beating bronze, just as Theseus overthrowing the dictatorial wizard opens the way for the rise of Greece and the first experiments in Democracy. This is a perfectly workable frame to build a fantasy adventure upon, as Theseus bullies a puny Babylonian wizard into helping him, enters the arena, is captured and escapes and is captured again, makes out with Ariadne as the king fumes and schemes... all that stuff. Yet it never really comes to life or seems exciting until toward the end. Jack Williamson had a long and varied career as a professional sci-fi writer (most of us would be happy just to live as long as he was writing). Except for DARKER THAN YOU THINK, though, I've never been particularly fond of his work. It usually seems like competent space opera, fun and lively but making no lasting impression. The same holds true for The Reign of Wizardry. Theseus has noble goals, certainly, freeing slaves and ending tyranny, but he also has little visible pesonality. The other characters don't come across as any more vivid, and Talos is not so much menacing as he is obnoxious (ending every speech with asserting he is no fool). The action scenes are sketchy. You'd think that throwing your hero into an arena where he has to barehandedly tackle three bulls, three gladiators and then three wizards would be tense and exciting. But no, Theseus kind of walks through it too easily, even though he's described as weak from starvation and thirst. It's also a wee bit hard to believe that one brief session of smooching in the moonlight would drive a hardened sorceress (who has thought of herself as a goddess for a millenium) to be so smitten she would betray everything to run off with a redheaded stranger* but there it is. THE REIGN OF WIZARDRY also pulls a surprising twist on the Minotaur legend, something that at first I thought was disappointing but which actually spurs the story to its best and most compelling part. So there is is. I felt the book was okay but nothing great for most of its length, until the last couple of chapters suddenly crackle with new conviction. It's certainly better than having a few thrilling first chapters trail off into a weak further hundred pages.